By Matt Badcock
THE famous FA Cup trophy visited Bodmin Town last Wednesday – and the Step 6 outfit are aiming to upset Bideford tonight after Saturday's postponement.
The South West Peninsula side have won their league title five times in the last ten years and have enjoyed good cup runs.
In 2012 they reached the third round qualifying stage of the FA Cup where they lost 5-1 to Godalming Town in a replay.
But today they're hoping they can spring a surprise against their Step 4 counterparts and take another step closer to creating history.
“We've played against Bideford in the past and we've always given them a really good game,” midfielder Neil Slateford said. “They've always been quite tight so hopefully it can swing in our favour this weekend.
“We know Bideford, which helps. We know who they are and their players. Hopefully we can give them a good game.
“A few years ago we had a good run and drew with Godalming. Really we should have won the first game but travelling there on a Tuesday night for the replay was always going to be difficult for the lads.
“It would be great to go as far as we can. It's all well and good doing well in the league, but we play against the same teams every year. The FA Cup gives you that chance to go on a little run and create a bit of profile and atmosphere for the club.
“Over the years we've been to Bristol, Portsmouth – it's good to keep it fresh. People lift their game in the FA Cup because we're often against clubs higher up.”
Slateford has returned to the club this season after a few years away, much like team-mate Ollie Brokenshire.
The midfielder says the chance to test themselves against players who have gone onto bigger things is one of the cup's attractions.
“The FA Cup is a fantastic competition,” Brokenshire said. “The league kind of takes care of itself but the excitement of the FA Cup and big games of football is something I really enjoy. There's a different feeling going into the FA Cup games – it's hard to describe.
“Over the past seven or eight years in the Cup and the Vase I've played against Charlie Austin at Poole Town, Dwight Gayle when he was at Stansted and Isaac Vassell, who's now at Birmingham City, when he was at Truro.
“All these players were Non-League footballers and have gone onto make really good careers for themselves. It's nice to be able to say that.”
Boss Darren Gilbert wants his side to make sure they show their best against Bideford.
“It will be a very tough test,” he said. “We lost 2-0 to them in pre-season so it's going to be hard. We know what they're about, they know what we're about – we've played them four or five times over the last few years. They've beaten us, we've beaten them and we've drawn. We'll give it our best shot.”
